Amazing book!!!!

This book was captivating from
The moment i opened it.....such an in-depth view with heartbreaking detail...didn’t want it to end....the narration was well done...annoying at time when she would impersonate a male voice with an accent but great great book!!!!!

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WOW

I just couldn't stop listening! I throughly enjoyed this point of view! I heard about this book on The Morbid podcast and just had to listen to it. And I am so happy I did!

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Well-researched, insightful

Ask anyone for a recommendation on a book about Ted Bundy, and this is the novel you'll be pointed to. It was fantastically researched and clear on the facts, without being boring. However, the mix of quotations and (obvious) use of direct source material demonstrates Rule's past as an author focused primarily on articles for magazines. But, I believe with a true crime novel such as this, that becomes necessary, and actually adds to the story, giving you the full picture. The writing wasn't fantastic, but it conveyed the story and facts wells. This edition included several updates from the original 1980 publication, that were vital to understanding the entire picture of Ted Bundy's trial, confessions and execution. I am very grateful for the addition.

However, I should note, I was a little exasperated with Ann Rule. While it is extremely interesting that she personally knew Ted Bundy before he was ever a murder suspect, and signed a book deal to write about the serial murderer who would end up being Ted, I believe she inflated both her self-importance, and Ted's.

My last listen before this was very well-narrated, and the shock of switching to this audiobook was disheartening. The narrator sounds robotic and choppy- very similar to the voice on your GPS. Luckily, the story pulled me in, and I was able to adjust to this style so I did not miss out on The Stranger Beside Me. However, several minutes in, I was ready to turn this off and not look back, often laughing at how detached the narration was. If you told me the entire this was typed into a "text-to-speech" app, I would absolutely have believed you. However, the narration was clear and crisp, and you do get used to it.

Critiquing each part individually, the narration was poor and the writing was not the best, by any means; but reflecting back, I very much enjoyed this listen and was impressed as a whole.

I think the part of this novel that most solidified how impressed I was by it, was when I found I had giggled to myself at one of the direct quotations from a letter from Ted. For the novel to express him as the whole man, including all of his horrendous deeds and the lives he has ended and ruined, and still for me to momentarily understand his allure and instantly be chilled by it was the perfect effect that summed up The Stranger Beside Me.

As a side note: I'm sure at this point, almost the entire world has watched the Ted Bundy documentary on Netflix. I went back after listening to The Stranger Beside Me, and found that it barely scratched the surface of what was included in this novel, and was considerably less intriguing (although it was interesting to see the visuals that went along with Rule's descriptions).

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If you're looking for a great True Crime novel..

You've found it. Ann Rule knew and liked Ted Bundy. This book documents his almost inexplicable inconsistencies and horrific crimes. Rule does a marvellous job describing what kind of person he was. The writing is crisp and well-reasoned. Interviews with victims' families, the few survivors, and investigators are interspersed with excerpts from letters the killer sent to his friend. The pace isn't overly frenetic and the exposé is complete. By the end of the book, the listener joins the author in scratching their head over this mysterious monster. The final two chapters (added in subsequent prints) reveal much more and reflect Rule's maturity and experience. Theodore Robert Bundy was a most unusual psychopath. I have no issues with the writing in this book except to say that Rule may be a bit too thorough - she includes too many details and leaves absolutely nothing out (like the appearance of the gemstones in a victim's (never recovered) jewelry, for example). At one point Rule bizarrely speculates that the victims were somehow made more vulnerable to being abducted and murdered because of personal 'problems'.."this one was fighting a cold" or "that one's dad had been ill" or " that one's exams were stressful". These were almost certainly totally irrelevant in my opinion - one wonders why Rule even raises them. Fortunately, the flaws are so minor and infrequent that they are easily overlooked. This is a great book. Lorelei King is an excellent narrator. Her tone is perfect for the topic and she reads with appropriate emotion at the correct pace to tell the story as written. This is a 9.5/10 book.

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Solid True Crime

This book was a good piece of true crime literature, told from the perspective of a casual friend of Ted Bundy. I think the author did a great job describing the tension between reconciling the man she knew with the man capable of such violence.

I do wish there had been more emotional exposition of various characters - particularly the law enforcement on the hunt. The author worked closely with them, and so often they were relegated to overly simplified quotations as “we took the search to the ground” or “we were stumped”.

But maybe I’m being overly critical and asking for what this book was not - I just wanted more from the world! Ann rule seems like a great author and I’m sure I’ll try another if her true crime novels, if just to see what her writing is like on a less personal narrative.

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loved it!!!

Couldn't stop listening. Great story and very chilling! He had so many people fooled. Love Anne Rule.

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Wonderful book

Couldn’t put it down for more than a few hours. Very insightful work by Ann Rule

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True story horror…

Almost unbelievable that life should throw the author into such bizarre circumstance: her life altered forever, as so many of Bundy’s victims were. I found it a difficult, long listen, but I guess that’s to be expected considering the monster at the center of it. Pure Evil. My heart goes out to all the innocents…

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rip T. Bundy

story very well told. it definitely shown another side of Bundy and the victims he took.
a must read, highly reccomend.

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Terrifying but riveting read

I wasn't sold on this despite the critical acclaim. A lot of time has passed and I worried this was another case of someone fawning over Ted. But Rule writes this in a manner we can all relate to. We have all made the mistake of befriending the wrong person, someone who is toxic. But luckily for (most) of us that person didn't turn out to be a serial killer. Rule does a great job of showing how difficult it was for her to navigate her friendship while her suspicions grew. It's well researched with a lot of input from victims and doesn't make everything all about Ted. it's very human. I am so glad she did an update, but I was sad to read about the circumstances surrounding her death.

Def worth a listen

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